Green amniotic fluid during childbirth: causes and consequences

What are green waters during labor?

In the mother's womb, the fetus is in the amniotic fluid, which protects it, protects it from shock, and facilitates movement. Its main component is water secreted from the female body. However, amniotic fluid also contains other substances: hormones, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, antibodies, salts, particles of vernix lubrication, waste products of the unborn child (after all, he swallows the liquid and pees there).

The liquid protects the baby in the womb, protects it from shock, and facilitates its movements.

It is quite natural that if some pathological processes occur in the body of the mother or baby, they can change the parameters of the amniotic fluid: its quantity, chemical composition and color.

Without a valuable aquatic habitat, the baby is simply not able to stay for a long time, and the outpouring of amniotic fluid means the beginning of labor (this can happen both before the first contractions and after them). Normally, amniotic fluid should be clear or slightly yellowish and not contain significant impurities - this indicates that the fetus has developed in a favorable environment and should potentially be healthy. If the waters have an abnormal color, namely greenish or dark green, this may be a signal of real danger (although not always).

The rupture of amniotic fluid indicates the imminent birth of a child.

As for the frequency of this phenomenon, recently the number of women in labor with green amniotic fluid has increased (after all, this pathology can be provoked by many reasons) - it is approximately 30%.

Video: the importance of amniotic fluid during pregnancy (obstetrician-gynecologist explains)

What is amniotic fluid

Nature intended that the fetus in the mother’s belly develops in a fetal sac—the placenta—filled with fluid.

Thus, the delicate organism is protected from sudden shocks and sudden changes in the position of the parent, because the liquid does not transmit the direction of the impact, but gently distributes the created pressure throughout the entire volume. Throughout pregnancy, amniotic fluid serves as a talisman for the baby.

What are they made of, and how are they formed inside the uterus?

The basis of the placental fluid is water, which accumulates in the uterine cavity. Various substances are mixed with it, namely:

• steroids;
• nutritional elements: sugars, lipids, proteins, salts;
• protective components: immunoglobulins, antibodies;
• cells of the child's hair and skin;
• remnants of original lubricant;
• baby's discharge.

Over time, the composition of the intrauterine fluid changes as the baby develops and matures. If at first it was water, then the waste products of the fetus are added to it.

The baby pees, his skin cells fall off as he ages, and the hairs on it also fall out. All this does not disappear without a trace, but floats with the baby in the amniotic fluid.

Their number also varies depending on the stage of pregnancy:

• at the 12th week of water only 60 ml;
• by the 16th week the volume triples, reaching 175 ml;
• between 34 and 38 weeks the volume is 400-1,200 ml;
• at 36-38 weeks the amount of water decreases, they become more concentrated.

Before birth, you may see a small amount of blood in clear or yellowish water. This is normal, mom has nothing to worry about.

Causes of greening of amniotic fluid

The reasons for amniotic fluid turning green can be very different:

1. Often, especially when the birth process is delayed, the child excretes original feces - meconium (due to a reflex contraction of the anus, which is facilitated by stress). It is colored greenish, which gives the amniotic fluid a corresponding shade (and normally the first bowel movement occurs after birth). Meconium may appear in the amniotic fluid during pregnancy if the baby suffers from hypoxia: lack of oxygen also causes spontaneous contraction of the anal muscles.
2. Oligohydramnios (amniotic fluid has insufficient volume).
3. Post-term pregnancy. In this case, the placenta ages; it cannot fully perform its functions, specifically transporting oxygen to the fetus. Again, hypoxia occurs and, as a result, meconium is released.
4. During the gestational period, the expectant mother suffered from a cold, flu, genitourinary infection, etc., which led to infection of the amniotic fluid. For sexually transmitted infections (mycoplasmosis, chlamydia, etc.), the water may also have an unpleasant odor.
5. In rare cases, the fetus may have genetic abnormalities.
6. Some doctors believe that the greening of the waters is facilitated by the consumption of certain foods by the expectant mother shortly before giving birth. These are fresh peas, green apples and freshly squeezed juice from them, green vegetables.

Photo gallery: factors that can change the normal color of amniotic fluid

When postmaturity occurs, the placenta ages, which causes hypoxia and, as a consequence, the separation of meconium from the child

Some doctors believe that the greening of waters is caused by the abuse of green plant foods.

Infections suffered during pregnancy, such as genitourinary infections or influenza, can infect the amniotic fluid and change its color

Associated signs of pathology

Depending on the reason that caused the greening of the amniotic fluid, accompanying symptoms may appear. For example, according to an ultrasound, a woman is diagnosed with an insufficient amount of amniotic fluid, symptoms of hypoxia in the fetus (its slow heartbeat, the baby moves little or, on the contrary, pushes too much), the expectant mother shows signs of infection (for example, painful frequent urination due to cystitis, abnormal vaginal discharge due to sexually transmitted infections, etc.).

Greening of the waters is a consequence of an existing problem, for example, with hypoxia, the fetus’s heart rate will slow down, it will push a little, or, on the contrary, it will be too active

Why green amniotic fluid may be observed during childbirth

The baby in the womb receives nutrition from the mother's body through the umbilical cord. It receives already processed substances. But the fetal body also has its own processing product - meconium. It accumulates in the intestines throughout pregnancy and is not excreted from the body during the normal course of pregnancy. But it happens that the muscles of the rectum contract, and meconium is excreted directly into the water, which turns it green. What could trigger such an outpouring? Let's talk further.

Actions of the pregnant woman and medical staff

The expectant mother should know how to behave if her water breaks green. In such a situation, there is no need to panic too much, but you should take the things you collected in advance and go to the maternity hospital (this is necessary in any case, even when the water is normal, because contractions can occur almost immediately). Naturally, before this it is forbidden to take a bath (only a quick shower is acceptable), have sex, or lift weights.

Excessive anxiety of the mother can provoke or aggravate hypoxia in the child.

In the hospital, you need to tell the doctor the approximate amount of fluid that came out, describe its smell (if there was one), the intensity of the color, and tell the approximate time when the water broke.

The doctor should do a CHT to determine the fetal heartbeat. If hypoxia is detected, a decision is made to perform an emergency caesarean section. In the case of normal indicators, natural childbirth is carried out: if contractions do not occur for a long time or they are weak, labor is artificially stimulated.

If hypoxia is detected in the fetus, doctors decide on an emergency caesarean section.

When a baby passes meconium directly during labor, turning the water green, the medical staff takes measures to minimize possible negative consequences. The newly born baby will immediately have fluid suctioned out of his mouth and nose, if necessary, the airways will be intubated (in which a thin tube is inserted into the trachea), and washed with saline solution.

Our doctors are going too far with “green waters”. There are two servings of water. The first is the front, above the head. The second is posterior, behind the fetus. Since the head is adjacent very closely to the walls of the birth canal, the posterior portion rarely comes out before the birth of the head, with the exception of the rupture of water before labor and during premature birth. If the first portion of water is normal, then the likelihood that the child will then swallow water is unlikely, because after inserting the head and its advancement, the back water practically does not enter the mouth. When the body is expelled, meconium is very often released, which in an inexperienced doctor will create panic and a false impression that it is supposedly meconium in the waters. You just need to include logic and analyze the observation. After all, they wipe and suck out the contents of the oral cavity. And if meconium (water with meconium) gets into your mouth, then it’s easy to notice it on white napkins, isn’t it? Plus, they always monitor the fetal heartbeat. Normal means everything is going as expected. Prevention is the correct management of childbirth.

E. Berezovskaya

https://www.komarovskiy.net/faq/chto-delat-chtoby-rebenok-ne-naglotalsya-zelenyx-okoloplodnyx-vod-v-rodax.html

In rare cases, doctors detect green water in an expectant mother long before giving birth - when she undergoes an amniocentesis procedure (sampling a small amount of amniotic fluid for analysis, usually done when genetic abnormalities are suspected in the unborn child). In such a situation, the woman is prescribed an additional examination to clarify the source of the problem:

• blood test (general, for antibodies);
• vaginal smear for microflora;
• smear to detect sexually transmitted infections;
• Fetal CTG;
• Ultrasound, including Doppler.

In some cases, greening of the amniotic fluid is detected during pregnancy - during the amniocentesis procedure

What are green waters?

Doctors have recently recorded an increase in the number of women giving birth with green amniotic fluid (approximately 30% of cases). Basically, this is discovered only during childbirth, when the water begins to pour out.

In some situations, greening is detected long before delivery - during the procedure of amniocentesis (sampling a small volume of amniotic fluid for analysis, as a rule, this is necessary if there is a suspicion of genetic abnormalities in the fetus).

Doctors distinguish different degrees of greening of waters:

1. Weak. The liquid has a yellow-green tint.
2. Average. Rich green color.
3. Significant. The color is dark, cloudy green (can be compared to pea soup).

Possible consequences for the child

The danger of green water for an unborn child is that it may contain meconium. The fetus can swallow it shortly before birth (for example, during pregnancy) or directly during the birth process. Products of defecation, entering the lungs, very often cause intoxication and the development of pneumonia. Meconium pneumonia is very difficult to treat and is a common cause of infant mortality.

The main danger of green water is that a child can swallow the products of his bowel movements and get meconium pneumonia, which is difficult to cure.

Naturally, the baby will have a better chance of staying healthy if he swallows meconium during birth. Here, a lot depends on the qualifications of doctors, their ability to act quickly - to clear the baby’s airways, literally as soon as his head is born.

If the waters turn green before birth due to hypoxia in the fetus, then after birth it may experience other undesirable consequences (after all, the abnormal color of the liquid will simply be a consequence of the problem):

• muscle hypertonicity;
• hyperreactivity, problems with sleep, nutrition (constant regurgitation);
• delayed psychomotor and speech development.

Meanwhile, children who were born with green amniotic fluid are quite often quite healthy (score high on the Apgar scale), and subsequently they do not experience any abnormalities (similarly, with completely transparent amniotic fluid, the baby may have problems ). Thus, there is no 100% inextricable connection between green waters and the presence of abnormalities in the baby (by the way, even with post-gestation the waters are often clean).

The only thing is, even if the newborn is outwardly quite healthy and the mother had green waters, his condition should still be carefully assessed by a neurologist. For such a baby, all routine examinations in the first year of life are especially important (it’s always better to be safe).

Video: potential danger of green waters (obstetrician-gynecologist E. Berezovskaya explains)

Complication after green waters during childbirth

Water from the amniotic sac remains in the baby's respiratory tract throughout pregnancy. Accordingly, everything that is in it is absorbed into the respiratory system. Fluid filled with meconium can block the airways, settle in the lungs and cause lung inoperability or pneumonia, and cause depression of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Delivery by caesarean section may be offered. Such complications can also occur 12 hours after birth if the degree of water pollution was very high. Children who have suffered such aspiration syndrome are more likely to suffer from respiratory and many other respiratory diseases and have reduced immunity. Oxygen starvation itself can negatively affect the development of the nervous system.

Such children may experience sleep disturbances, hypertension, and developmental delays. Such cases must be considered in conjunction with other indicators. After all, with the outpouring of green waters, a completely healthy child can be born without any abnormalities, and children born with clean waters can also have neurological consequences.

Future mothers! If, during the discharge of amniotic fluid, you see water with a greenish tint, with noticeable floating particles of mucus, be sure to notify your obstetrician as soon as possible.

Preventive measures

Of course, no pregnant woman is immune from greening of amniotic fluid, but some measures help minimize the risk:

• ideally, pregnancy should be planned in order to treat all sources of infection in advance;
• When carrying a child, carefully monitor your well-being and follow all recommendations of the attending physician;
• do not neglect any studies that can detect an infection (be sure to treat it when detected);
• lead a healthy lifestyle (walk more, eat a balanced diet, maintain normal hemoglobin levels) to reduce the risk of hypoxia in the fetus.

The action of doctors during the outpouring of green waters

A lot depends on the correct, timely manipulations performed by obstetricians and resuscitators. The most important thing is to quickly remove meconium particles from the respiratory tract , before the child takes his first breath and draws it in deeper. To do this, a qualified doctor stops pushing immediately after the head appears and performs aspiration - removing water and meconium from the mouth and nose by suction.

In case of severe contamination, intubation may be performed - insertion of thin tubes into the respiratory tract. Cleansing of the fetal respiratory system is carried out until clear water appears. These unpleasant procedures can reduce the risk of complications to a minimum.

Video about amniotic fluid

We invite you to watch a video that explains in detail what amniotic fluid is, its meaning, structure, importance, volumes and possible deviations.

Childbirth is difficult to predict or plan. Much depends on the course of pregnancy, the health of mother and child, and the behavior of medical personnel. All indicators cannot be considered separately from others. Statistics say that about 27% of women in labor experience such an unpleasant complication of the birth process - green water during childbirth. But every such child has a chance to be completely healthy.

How did you survive this difficult process, dear readers? And have you noticed any patterns between green waters during childbirth and developing diseases in children? Share your experience!